The Arlington Unified Basketball team had an amazing game on February 2nd. Unified is a program where special education students are able to play a sport without having to try out. Even though they lost, 24-26, these awesome players still had a great game because they tried as hard as they could due to it being a Pack the Gym game.
“It felt great. It felt like I was about to be a new player.” Said Wyatt Honsowetz (27’).
He loved the student section, the band, and the huge audience watching him play and seeing how he has improved in basketball and his overall attitude while playing.
“We get to say this a lot but it has just been really fun,” said Honsowetz.
Abby Thompson was lucky enough to be able to sing The National Anthem in front of around 1,000 people during the game. She did a beautiful job with a huge round of applause afterward.
“I was excited but a little nervous because I was afraid I would sing the words wrong” said Thompson (29’).
Thompson did not just sing but also had a lot of great plays for everyone to see. She loves to show people what she learned while on the team.
“I like dribbling the ball and then shooting,” said Thompson.
The Unified team has some helpers so they can assist the players on the court and on the bench. The coaches put them in to help with getting the players the ball and helping them be motivated.
“I love helping them out and just being around the players is just so awesome to me because seeing them strive is a big to me” said Ellie Reed (29’).
So many people love these students because of their joy and passion for the sport and how they are so excited and have a positive attitude.
Last year I did peer tutoring, where I helped special needs kids and that just started my passion for loving to hang out with them” said Cesar Correa (29’).
It is not just the helpers but the amazing coaches really bring it all together and show what it is really about.
“The best part about Unified is that it’s bringing our kiddos… to be a part of something bigger than themselves… just having them come together and being able to just get an opportunity that they wouldn’t always get. I think a lot of our kids are told no, many, many times in their life… And so I think… My favorite part of coaching is being able to finally tell them yes, yes, you can play sports” said Maciee Delaney.
The Unified basketball program is flourishing with 25 players and they really appreciate Pack the Gym. It is a wonderful program for these students to show their talents, be confident, and most important, to have fun.
“They love having the stands filled, their parents coming, their family, the student section, the band. They love it all, and they get so excited for it” said Delaney.
